Grappling Based Systems

A.Greek Wrestling was a popular form of martial art, at least in Ancient Greece (about 1100 to 146 BC)

B.First found in Olympic games 708 BC

C.First detailed account of wrestling mentioned in Homer’s Iliad (Book XXIII ca. 675 BC), in which Homer recounts the Trojan War in the 13th or 12th century BC.

D.Two known variations

1.Orrhia pale – (Greek) upright wrestling where the object was to throw your opponent to the ground three separate times

2.Kalo Pale – (Roman) ground wrestling where the opponents fought until one of them gave in, by raising his arm with his index finger raised to admit defeat E.After the Roman conquest of the Greeks, Greek wrestling was absorbed by the Roman culture and became Roman Wrestling during the period of the Roman Empire

II. In Egypt, wrestling has been evidenced by documentation on tombs (circa 2300 BC) and Egyptian artwork (2000-1085 BC).

III.China - Shuai Jiao has a reported history of over 4,000 years A.It is a Chinese martial art, originally only a style of sport wrestling, but later included striking and blocking B.It sometimes also refers to modern Chinese and Mongolian wrestling

IV.Japan A.Sumo - Belief of legend of Takemikazuchi, progenitor of Japanese race, was a god who defeated a commoner in wrestling B.First recorded mention around 23BC C.Japanese style of wrestling and Japan's national sport 1.One wrestler attempts to force the other out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet 2.Many ancient traditions have been preserved in sumo, and even today the sport includes many ritual elements, such as the use of salt purification, from the days when sumo was used in the Shinto religion a.On mounting the dohyō the wrestler performs a number of rituals derived from Shinto practice b.Facing the audience, he claps his hands and then performs the leg-stomping shiko exercise to drive evil spirits from the dohyō as the referee, who will coordinate the bout announces the wrestlers' names once more c.Stepping out of the ring into their corners, each wrestler is given a ladleful of water, the chikara-mizu ("power water"), with which he rinses out his mouth; and a paper tissue, the chikara-gami ("power paper"), to dry his lips. Then both step back into the ring, squat facing each other, clap their hands, spread them wide (traditionally to show they have no weapons) and return to their corners to each pick up a handful of salt which they toss onto the ring to purify i

V.Iceland - Glima a/to “struggle”, also the Icelandic term for “wrestling” in general

A.Folk wrestling style that is Iceland's national sport, favoring technique over strength. B.Each of the two wrestlers wears a special belt around the waist and separate, additional belts on the lower thighs of each leg, which connect to the main belt with vertical straps. A fixed grip is then taken with one hand in the belt and the other in the trousers at thigh height. From this position the glima-wrestler attempts to trip and throw his opponent, with one or a combination of 8 different techniques. 1.A thrown wrestler may attempt to land on his feet and hands and if he succeeds in doing so he has not lost the fall. 2.The winning condition in this type of glima is to make the opponent touch the ground with an area of the body between the elbow and the knee. VI.Switzerland – Schwingen German “Swinging” A.AKA – Swiss wrestling and Hoselupf (Swiss German “Trouser Lifting”) B.Wrestlers wear Schwinghosen (German wrestling breeches) with belts that are used for taking holds. Throws and are common because the first competitor to pin his/her opponent's shoulders to the ground wins the bout. C.Similar to Glima in style D.Found as early as 1215 AD VII.Russia A.Various regional systems due to isolation and vastness B.Found as early as 1000 AD C.Systems based on leverage and tripping techniques D.Many competitors wore jackets

VIII.Medieval/Renaissance Europe A.Fiore Dei Liberi 1410 1. A major section of the Flower of Battle includes unarmed plays (usually translated as wrestling but more literally grappling) B.Hans Talhoffer 1443 C.Achille Morozzo 1536 1.Opera Nova shows unarmed techniques with the Dagger D.Nicolaes Petter 1.1674, from Holland 2.Wrote Clear Education in the Magnificent Art of Wrestling 3.Translated from Dutch into English by Remko Prevo, 2000.IX.Japan A.Jujutsu/Jujitsu 1.Jujutsu evolved among the samurai of feudal Japan as a method for dispatching an armed and armored opponent in situations where the use of weapons was impractical. 2.Due to the difficulty of dispatching an armored opponent with striking techniques, the most efficient methods for neutralizing an enemy took the form of pins, joint locks, and throws. 3.These techniques were developed around the principle of using an attacker's energy against him, rather than directly opposing it, and came to be known as jujutsu. B.Judo "The Way of Gentleness" 1.Dr. Jigoro Kano assembled a consistent system with moral principles and physical well-being for the Japanese nation 2.Kano sifted through jujitsu styles to create a new art that was non-lethal a.Essentially a competitive modern sport using and manipulating balance to control and throw b.Science of throws - A throw can be centered on any joint in the body (weakest at the joints) 3.Olympic sport in 1964 a.Became highly competitive thereafter, especially upon introduction to the West b.Sport aspect with rules diminished its applicability as a method self-defense C.Aikido 1.Ueshibe Morihei (O Sensei) 2.Connected with Zen philosophy 3.System adapted from earlier jujitsu forms (Originally Aiki-jitsu concentrated in combative forms from 1917-1930) 4.Concept of the circle (theory and application) a.Circular movements create unity out of violence b.Straight line vs. a circle which displaces original vector of force and creates a new centripetal force focused on attacker c.Circle has aesthetic appeal 5.Follows Japanese traditions of sitting on floor a.Techniques deal with fighting from the kneeling position b.Knee walking, as a part of Japanese etiquette, indicates respect from a non-attacking posture, accordance with social scale c.Concentration on avoidance d.Moving and avoiding attacks requires forward thinking e.Circular footwork (tenkan)

X.Korea A.Hapkido "Way of Coordinated Power" 1.a system combining many elements of Judo, and Aiki-Jujutsu - a forerunner of modern Aikido, with techniques from strike- based martial arts such as Karate & Taekwondo 2.Korean swat teams and riot police are trained in combat Hapkido to this day 3.Demo chain lock – “let’s go back to the video” (wrist, wrist, elbow, elbow, shoulder)

XI. Russia

A. Viktor Spiridonov and Vasili Oshchepekov pioneered Sambo for the Soviet military in the 1920's to improve their hand-to- hand combat systems.

1. Developed two systems with an ultimate goal: to stop an armed or unarmed adversary in the least time possible.

B. This system combines aspects of Judo with techniques and principles from various regional Russian wrestling systems

C. Focused highly on submission

D. Russian Systema – “the system”, focuses on breath and relaxation in the body. The body must remain fluid and loose. Considered to be a practical martial art adaptable to any weapon style (unarmed, knife, guns, rifles, sticks, swords, etc.).

XII. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

A. Developed by the brothers Carlos and Helio Gracie in the early 20th century (ca 1915)

1. They were taught Judo by Mitsuyo Maeda, himself a disciple of Judo founder Kano Jigoro.

a. When Mitsuyo arrived in Brazil in 1914, Gastao Gracie (Carlos & Helio's father) helped him get settled in and set up

b. To show his gratitude, Mitsuyo took Carlos on as his personal student

2. Carlos (and, eventually, Helio) spent much of the next several decades challenging just about every fighter he could find in order to test & refine his skills

1. The premise being that most of the advantage of a larger, stronger opponent comes from superior reach and more powerful strikes

2. Both of these advantages are somewhat negated when grappling on the ground

D. Developed for practical application

E. Demo

XIII. Mixed Martial Arts

A. When the Gracie's tried to bring their art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to the already-saturated U.S. market, they found that they needed to find a way to prove the efficacy of their system to the American public

B. Gracie family started the Ultimate Fighting Championship to prove Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

C. The UFC spawned a world-wide fervor for what is now referred to as Mixed Martial Arts:

1. Where fighters cross-train in both striking and grappling-based systems in order to have a chance whether fighting upright OR on the ground

2. Helio's grandson Royce racked up 4 titles in UFC's first five years